This week on Outside Rein, we’re talking about relationships — and what happens when horses get involved! 🐴❤️

How do our horses affect our relationships? Do our partners really understand why we spend quite so much time, money and energy on them? And how do our relationships, family lives and home commitments affect the way we ride, compete and generally survive life as a horsey person?

From supportive partners to the ones who perhaps don’t quite “get it”, we’re having an honest chat about the highs, lows and compromises that come with trying to balance horses, relationships and real life.

Because sometimes the hardest part of eventing isn’t the cross-country course… it’s explaining the vet bill. 😂

Burnout: Because Apparently We’re Meant to Enjoy Winter Too…

This week, we’re talking about burnout — the horse-owning kind, the work kind, the family kind, and the general “why is there always something that needs doing?” kind.

From juggling horses, work, home life and family to trying to keep ourselves vaguely functioning, we chat about how we recognise when we’re running on empty, what we do (or attempt to do!) to manage physical and mental burnout, and whether there’s actually such a thing as having too much on your plate.

And, naturally, because we’re us, it eventually becomes a fairly extensive moan about how bloody hard — and effing expensive — winter is going to be.

Mud. Dark mornings. Wet rugs. Frozen water troughs. Vet bills. Feed bills. Heating bills. The list goes on…

So grab a coffee, pour yourself a glass of wine, and come and have a whinge with us. Because sometimes self-care is just admitting that everything is a bit much.

This week, we’re joined by the incredible Laura Denny — Para dressage rider, advocate for positivity, and all-round amazing human! 💛

Laura shares her story of being diagnosed with MS, how she discovered the world of Para dressage, and the journey that led her to representing her Home Nations.

We chat about the challenges and triumphs along the way, finding positivity when life throws you a curveball, and how horses have played such an important role in Laura’s journey.

An honest, inspiring and uplifting conversation with a truly remarkable rider — we absolutely loved having Laura on the podcast! 🐴✨

🐴 NEW EPISODE! 🐴

Thinking about buying a horse? Or wondering whether you’re actually ready to take the plunge?

This week we’re talking all things horse buying — what to look for, what to avoid, the red flags that should make you walk away, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is ask for help.

From rose-tinted glasses and getting swept up in a horse you love, to viewing, vettings, trials and trusting your gut, we chat through the realities of finding the right horse for you — and the mistakes we’ve made along the way!

Because sometimes the perfect horse isn’t the one you fall in love with first… 🫣

🎧 Give it a listen and let us know: what’s your biggest horse-buying tip?

This week on Outside Rein, we’re diving into neurodiversity in women and the horse world. 🧠🐴

We chat openly about how our neurodiversity can both help and hinder our equestrian journeys, from the things that make us great horsewomen to the challenges, overwhelm and struggles that aren’t always visible from the outside.

We share some of our own personal experiences and realities, and have a very honest conversation about navigating horses, life and our brains. 💭

As always, no judgement, no pretending we have all the answers — just two grassroots riders talking honestly about their experiences.

🎧 Listen now on Outside Rein: Honest Conversations with Grassroots Riders.

In this episode of The Outside Rein Podcast, we’re joined by Kate Osmaston, BWRT Advanced Practitioner. Together, we talk about riding confidence, anxiety and the way our brains can work against us as riders.

Kate shares her journey back to riding following a serious car accident and tells her how losing all of her confidence eventually meant that she discovered Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT). She explains how it works and how it is different from more traditional talking therapies. She then explains how she now uses it to support riders dealing with competition nerves or fear following falls. She even tells us about a case study of confidence loss that seems to have appeared from nowhere.

Of particular interest to co-host Nat, we all have a chat about why anxiety can become such a difficult cycle, the difference between managing an anxious response and addressing the trigger behind it. Kate has worked with happy hackers to elite competitors and has found it often lurks in the same spaces! Kate also talks us through what someone can expect from a BWRT session and why the approach can often involve relatively few sessions.

If you’ve lost confidence after a fall, find yourself catastrophising before you ride, struggle with competition nerves or just want to understand more about how our brains influence our behaviour around horses, this is a fascinating conversation.

Find Kate online:

Facebook: Kate Osmaston (BWRT Advanced Practitioner)
Facebook page: Kate Osmaston BWRT-Today
Website: www.BWRT-today.com

As always, if you enjoy the episode, please follow The Outside Rein Podcast on Spotify and share it with another horsey person who might find it useful.

🎙️ WE’RE BACK! And we have a LOT to catch up on…

It’s been four whole weeks since our last episode, which means Nat and I have accumulated a frankly ridiculous amount of life and horsey nonsense to talk about. 😂

This week on Outside Rein, we’re having a proper catch-up — everything that’s been going on in our personal lives, what’s happening with our horses, training, competing (or not), the highs, the lows and probably a few questionable decisions along the way.

No big topic. No expert guest. Just two grassroots riders having an overdue natter about what we’ve been up to — and, as always, saying the things that other riders are probably thinking but don’t always say out loud.

So grab a coffee, put your feet up and come and have a catch-up with us. 🐴☕️

Outside Rein — honest conversations with grassroots riders.

After an 18-month break from competing, Nat is finally heading back into the show jumping ring... and, unsurprisingly, the nerves have decided to make a comeback too.

This week, we have an honest chat about competition anxiety, the pre-show overthinking, and all the little things that can turn an exciting day into a stressful one. We share the survival techniques we use to keep the nerves in check, stay focused, and most importantly, actually enjoy competing.

Whether you're returning after a break, gearing up for your first competition, or you're a seasoned rider who still gets butterflies every time you unload the horse, this episode is full of relatable stories, practical tips, and a reminder that competing should be fun.

Because the only thing that should be knocking poles down is your horse... not your confidence.

This week the tables have turned...

After last week with Nat being on the receiving end of the questions, it's now Tor's turn in the hot seat.

From horses and coaching to the stories behind the business, Nat digs into Tor's equestrian journey... before throwing in a very Nat-esque question that nobody saw coming.

And if you've listened to previous episodes, you'll know Tor famously persuaded Nat to share the badger story. Well... revenge is a dish best served on a podcast, and Nat makes sure she gets her own back!

Expect plenty of laughs, horse chat, questionable decisions, and the usual chaos you've come to expect from Outside Rein.

This week, we turn the tables as Tor puts co-host Nat in the hot seat!

From horsey hot takes and riding mishaps to a few questions that have absolutely nothing to do with horses, nothing is off limits. We chat about the experiences that have shaped Nat as a rider, some of her biggest opinions, plenty of laughs... and yes, we finally get that much-requested story out of her!

If you've ever wanted to get to know the voice behind the mic a little better, this is the episode for you.

🎧 Expect plenty of laughs, a bit of chaos, and a few surprises along the way.

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave us a review, share the episode with your horsey friends, and follow us on social media to keep the conversation going.